Switchboard construction.



lNo. 862,072. v PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

I T. A.& W. P. HAMMOND.

SWITCHBOARD CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOTION FILED NOV. 13. 1903.

l. a E 1 K ...ATL-MIL Z 7545515.21155. 4l Jl UNITED STATES .PATENT OEEIOE.

'rIIEonoRuALEnT HAMMOND AN'D WILLIAM PIERSON HAMMOND, OE'PAssAIC, NEW 'Y JEnsEY, AssIeNoRs TO II. R. AND k; MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITQHBOARD CONSTRUCTION. v

To all-'whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, Tanonons ALBERT HAMMOND and WILLIAM PIEusoN HAMMOND, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Passaic, county of Passaic, State of New Jersey, have invented certain 'I Anew and useful improvements in, Switchboard (.onstructions, of which the-following is a specification. f Our invention relates to switchboards and has for its object to provide a switchboard of simplified construction and compactness in dimensions and to provide in connection therewith means for making conncctions and loops, and other devices whereby the operation of the switchboard may be greatly facilitated and simplified. n j v l5 further object of the invention in addition to pro- Jviding a switchboard of greater simplicity and compactncss in dimensions is-to enable a greater number of both patching and looping connections to be made thereon with greater facility, readiness and certainty than Wi th switchboards of present known construction'.

"Fo the accomplishment of the above mentioned objects and others which will hereinafter appear we have devised plugs of a novel construction to. be used in connection with our switchboards whereby a plurality of connections may be made from a single switchboard jack. I

We have also provided a convenient grounding switch whereby, in'connection with a switchboard constructed according to our invention, the various lines or branches may be grounded or connected t forni through lines 's desired. i Another object of our invention is'to provide a switchboard with the parts and connections to be manipulated; thoroughly insulated whereby the danger-of short-circuiting is eliminated and the operators.

safety from accidental shocks is insured. 1

As herein illustrated and described our invention is applied to a telegraph system but it is understood that the invention is not limited-to this' particular applica-` tion, but on the contrary, may be applied either in part or in whole wherever similar switching connections may be desired, as for instance in telephone systems.

Switchboards in general use at the present are of the disk and strip type-involving greatl complexity and intricacy in construction and wiring and demanding a considerable degree of skill and care in operation. Switchboards of this type present the further objection that for every addition of a line or branch the switchingconnections are greatly increased thereby increasing the size of the board disproportionately to the number-of connections which may be made there- Specification -of Letters Patent. Application filed November 18, 1903. SsriaLNo. 181,665.

on. Moreover, in boards ot' this type lthe terminals of n .f 1 l Patented July 30,1907;

n the 1ine,-that is the disks and the strips exposed and the operator is liable to short, circuit the lines and 55. is also liable to receive shocks in'manipulating the Aboard. 4Furthermore, in boards ofthis construction,Y

it requires 'the insertion oi a plurality of plugs to Inake a connection and it requires constant vattention and vigilance on the -part of the operator to vprevent the circuits frombeing left open. -All of these objections are obviated by4 switchboardsand plugs made in accordance with the present invention.

We have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a switchboard andplugsforuse inconnection therewith embodying our invention'. l In the drawings, Figures l, 2 and 3 are sectional views respectively of a single section or unit ofthe board with plugs in position to make connections.` Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a looping plug with its casing removed to exhibit its interior construction. Fig. is a similar view of a patching plug. Fig. 6 is afront elevation showing a portion of a switchboard made in accordance with our invention and showing plugs inserted therein for making connections. Fig. 7 represents an auto, matic plug cord take-up. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a patch plug box. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a looping plug box. Fi r. 10 is a view illustrating the construction of the switch. Fig. 11 is a view of a modiled form of plug box. l .I 80

' Referring to Fig. 6 the switchboard is built of a series of sections S1, S2, S3, arranged one above the other and supported in a suitable frame work (not shown). These sections are formed of suitable insulating material 1 faced with vulcanite hard rubber or any other suitable insulatingmaterial 1' to give a desired finish to the face of the board. It will `be understood that as many of these sections may be employed as may be required to I. accommodate the number of lines entering a station. The switchboard herein shownand described is designed for an intermediate station but it will be understood that the invention maybe applied to terminal stations. Each line entering thostation is connected to one of the sections Sl, S2, S3, etc., the line entering at lone side of a section as indicated at E and leaving at the 95 other, as at W. A grounding switch `16 is shown to' which each of the branches and E are connected anda by means Of whiclreither branch W or E, or both, mayA be grounded. Two jacks 3, 3, are provided, one connected to each branch E or-W of the line to enable 100 patching and looping connections to be made from either portion as required. The switch 16 is of a novel construction and will be more particularly described below. All the line or board jacks 3 are of similar con# struction so that a description of one will sui'lice. n

1'05' The jacks consist of tl-.e main or stem ,portionb A v pd, connections 26.

the connecting wire or cord 10 having a patch plug or a patch plug box connected thereto at the other end.

It will be seen from the above description that tb is patch plug box may be inserted by'means of its pin into any switchboard jack socket and a patching connection made therefrom. Also that one or as many loop plugs as the box will accommodate may be inserted in the sockets without projecting a distance from the switchboard to interfere with its management.

We have devised a looping'plug box upon the same principle of construction as the patch plug box above described. Fig. 9 shows va looping plug box. This box is provided with a looping plug having a pin l2 similar in construction and arrangement to the looping plug before described. The connections from this plug to the sockets 25 and to the springs 24 are similar to those in patch plug box; but one of the springs 24 is i connected by a connection 15' to the insulated pin 12 to complete the loop circuit.

It will 'be obvious from the construction of the looping plug box that both looping and patching plugs may be inserted therein as desired as ior instance wllen it is necessary to have a plurality of loops insertedin two patched line wires., -In this case the looping plug box (Fig. 9) is inserted in thev jack connected with one 'of the lines to be patched and a patching plug will be inserted in the socket 25 of said box in which spring 24x is situated. The companion patching plug connected to the first mentioned patching plug will be inserted in the jack of the other line'with whichthe patching connecti'on is desired to be made. The circuit in this case will be as follows': from the switchboard jack tothe por- A tion 1l of the pllig box to the first socket 25 connected therewith, thence around the loop inserted in that socket thence to the next socket 25 and around the loop inserted therein and so on through the intervening sockets and loops until the current is conducted to the last socket 25 in which the circuit is bpoken by said pin and the current is conducted from said last socket through the patching plug and its conducting Vcord to the other patching plug whielris inserted in the jack connected to the other line with which the patch is to be made in the same manner as an ordinary patch conneetionabove described.

Y grounding jacks we have The shape or configuration oi the plug boxes may be any desired. For securing compactness the cylindrical shape shown in Figs. 6 and 11 is found advantageous'. The plug in this caseisconvenientlyeeured in the center of the box.

In order to avoid the use of grounding plugs or special provided a grounding'switch 16 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 10). .This switch comprises segmental portions 17, 18 and 19, separated @ne from the:A other. A two armed contact piece 20 imsecured on the stem of the switch. Segments 18 and 19 areconnected'with wires W and E respectively and segment 17 is connected to ground.

` to a neighboring socket 25 by a 1 connection 26, and to this excepted spring is connected.

When it is desired to ground either wire W or E the switch is turned so that the contact 20 bridges segments 18 and 17 or segments 19 and 17, respectively (see Fig.

10). Both wires may b e grounded by turning the switch so that one arm of contact piece 20 contacts with both segments 18 and 19 and the with ground 17 (see dotted lines Fig. 10).

In order to distinguish our plugs from those at present known and used in the art we shall refer to them in the claims as jack plugs, since they perform the double function of a jack and a plug. Similarly .we shall refer to the plug boxes as jack plug boxes.

' The advantages attained-by our invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. By our invention we have provided aplng which combines the function of a jack and plug and by this means we are enabled to dispense with special patching and looping jacks on the switch board thus materially reducing the size and complexity of theboard and its connections. 'We have further reduced the size and complexity'of the board and its connections by means of our grounding switch.

Having thus described and ascertained the nature .oi the'invcntion, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent isz- 1. A single wire circuit switchboard apparatus comprising a plurality of jacks, and means for making either n patching or u. looping connection at any individual jack. 2.' A switchboard apparatus comprising a plurality of jacks, und means for making a patching connection together with n plurnlityrof looping connections at any one of said jacks.

3. A single wire circuit switchboard 'apparatus comprising a plurality oi jacks, and means consisting of plugs having-conducting wires connected thereto whereby either a patching or a looping connection may be made at any lndivid l jack.

4. A single wire circuit switchboard apparatus comprising-a plurality oflooping jacks, and means consisting of a pair of similarly constructed' plugs electrically connectedl by a conducting' Wire or cord, Asaid plugs cooperating with the jacks to make a patching connection between any two thereof. v

5. A single wire circui't`switchbonrd apparatus comprising a switchboard provided with jacks all of which are of similar construction, and means consisting of a plug havlng a loop circuit connected thereto, said plug cooperating with anyof said jacks whereby the loop circuit may be inserted in the`llne connected therewith.'

6. A single wire circuit switchboard comprising a plurallty of jacks, means for making a. patching connection between any two f the individual jacks, andmeans for imposing looping connections on the patching connection.

7.' The herel-n described means for making switchboardl connections, said means comprising a pair of plugs,. electrlcal connection between-said piugsr'each of said plugs comprising an insulated circuit-opening portion, a. bodyportion of conductive material,` the connection between said plugs being normally ln electrical contact with the body-portions "thereof but said contact adapted to be opened by another plug. l

8. 'lhe herein described lmeans for making switchboard connections, said means? comprising a pair oi. trical connection between said plugs, each of said plugs comprising an insulated circuit-opening portion, a bodyportion of conductive material, the connection between said plugs being normally ,in electrical contact with the 4body-portions thereof, but said contact adapted to be opened for the purposes described.

9,. The hereindescribed means for making switchboard connections, said means comprising a pair of electrically connected switchboard plugs, each of said plugs comprising a circuit-openingportion, and a body-portion-insulated.

from the circuit-opening portion, the electrical connection other arm contacts plugs, elec- 

